Izayoi's Story
by Yashagirl24
Summary: First story ever written! Izayoi, the eldest daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome, has always lived life according to how her parents have let her which has been training both physically and medically. After being set out to find herbs for her sister, she finds something that will turn her world upside down.
1. One Spring Day

_Hello all! This is Yashagirl24 with her first story ever!_

_YAY ME!_

_Usually, I think of plots and try to draw them out but I wanted to try something a bit different this time. Please read and review as I am always trying to improve upon my skills!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Inuyasha related except for the plot and the following characters: Izayoi and Shizune._

Chapter 1: One Spring Day

The sun shined down on the peaceful valley in Musashi's domain. Villagers were working diligently in their fields while animals and other flora were basking in the sun's rays, enjoying the silence as they did. That is, until a small roar erupted from a clearing in Inuyasha's Forest. The silence then resumed as the young female hanyou in the clearing sheathed her father's sword.

"Dad! Did you see that?! I finally produced the Wind Scar!" she called out. Her father, Inuyasha, stepped out from his shaded spot and walked up to meet her.

"Yes, I did. Congratulations Izayoi."

His praise brought a smile to her fair face as she handed Tetsusaiga back to him.

"You know, now that I can create the Wind Scar, can we try the Backlash Wave?" she asked curiously.

"Izayoi, you know better than that. First off, the Backlash Wave is way too destructive to just try and second, you **just** now created the Wind Scar. You need to not only master the Wind Scar but you also need to improve your skills and techniques with the Tetsusaiga before we move on."

He finished his answer to only meet his daughter's disappointment. He felt bad for her but he knew she had a while to go before she could attempt anything that powerful.

"C'mon. Your mother probably has lunch ready by now." he said.

"Oh! I think mom has ninja food for us. Race ya home!"

She bounded off into the trees, leaving Inuyasha in a state of surprise before he lept to follow her home.

In the village not far from the clearing, Kagome was finishing some of her herbalist duties when Izayoi walked in to the hut.

"Hi, mom." She said as she walked over to the table and looked it over.

'Damn. No lunch yet.' She thought as she began helping with the organization of the many herbs.

"Hello, Izayoi. How was practice?"

"Fantastic! I was able to create the Wind Scar!" she exclaimed with glee.

Before Kagome could answer with her own praise, a voice came from the room next to theirs.

"Wow! That's really impressive! I wish I had that kind of strength to handle father's sword!"

Both women turned towards the sound of the angelic voice to see its owner walk into the room. Inuyasha's youngest daughter, Shizune, walked in with the grace of a dancer as she carried in a medium sized basket of medicinal herbs to her mother. Izayoi had to hand it to her sister. Shizune had to be the prettiest hanyou in Musashi's entire domain. Upon her shoulders sat a flawless face with eyes the perfect shade of mocha; her face was framed by long hair that was as white as snow besides the few black streaks that ran through it. The only other color upon her head was the faint pink sakura pins that she used to hold back the long strands of her black bangs (if that is what they're called). Her beauty doesn't end at her face though as she has a beautiful body to match, which she carries with all the grace of a respectful priestess. For being the younger of the two, Shizune definitely got her mother's looks and so much more. As for Izayoi, all she got was ebony hair, gold eyes, dog ears and jagged purple streaks on both sides of her face; definitely not worth bragging about to the world.

"…yoi. Izayoi!" Kagome said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? What?" she asked in confusion.

"You were so spaced out, you didn't hear Shizune's question."

"I'm sorry, Shizune. What did you say?"

"I asked if you would mind going out and finding me some more feverfew. We're almost out and I have a few more things I have to get done before tonight."

"Oh, ok. I don't mind. I needed something to do anyway." She smiled at her sister as she picked up an herb basket and headed toward the door.

"Try to be back before sunset. You know how your father is about you two being out at night." Kagome said before Izayoi walked out.

"I will. I know the rule. See you all later!"

Izayoi walked out and breathed in the fresh air she loved so much before setting off. The different smells from the village combined with that of the forest set her spirits soaring, knowing adventure just might lie ahead.

'I think I scented some in the eastern part of the forest….I'll start there.'

She then began leaping towards the east, not knowing that she would find something that would change her life forever.


	2. Discovery

_Hello again! I'm so glad that I am already getting reviews! So for those who had already read the first, here's the second chapter!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Inuyasha related except for the plot and the following characters: Izayoi, SHizune, and Ryuske._

Chapter 2: Discovery

The heat of the day had finally come around as Izayoi continued on her search, using her skilled nose to find the herb's scent.

"Where is that damn herb pile? I know it's around here som-"

_Pwik!_ She stopped, frozen with dread as the metallic scent of blood swarmed her senses and made her mind begin stringing together possible conclusions.

"Oh no…."

Just as fast as the words tumbling out of her mouth, Izayoi was off in the direction of the scent. She searched frantically, trying to find the scent's source while hoping it wasn't someone she knew or loved. As she closed in on the scent, she found what she was looking for lying against a tree. She breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that it wasn't someone she knew but the relief was replaced with concern as she looked upon the body. Many lacerations covered his body which oozed blood and she could see many bruises on his face and arms. Her nose told her that he was still alive but unconscious and that he was a youkai. Silently thanking kami that the poor creature was a youkai, she scooped him up and starting walking towards the creek she knew was close by.

'He needs to be treated, and fast.' she thought as she tried to make out his face. Unfortunately, even her strong eyes couldn't see his features because of the amount of blood that covered them.

"There. I think that's the last of the blood."

Izayoi had been working for a good amount of time on the youkai, trying to get as much blood and dirt off of him as she could. Fortunately, he was finally cleaned off enough so she could get a clear look at his wounds. The swelling in different places had also reduced dramatically, thanks to the cold water, which helped her overlook as well.

"Ok, time to check those cuts…hopefully their not too bad.' Izayoi thought as she began her inspection. She started on his arms and chest, noticing that most of his wounds seemed defensive and had luckily missed his vital points. His arms had a few deep cuts that needed stitching but she would do that after she finished looking him over. Izayoi moved on to his legs, seeing mostly bruises and light scratches except for the deep gash across his right calf. She cringed as she saw it, seeing that it almost was deep enough to reach bone. She looked away before she lost it and continued on, finding nothing else except for a broken ankle on the same leg. Izayoi then moved up to his face, only seeing a few cuts and a couple bruises that were already turning yellow from his youkai healing. The same thing was happening with the rest of the bruises covering his body. She was happy that he had enough strength to have his healing powers start its job and breathed a sigh of relief. She then looked back at his face and unknowingly began to study it. He had a handsome face for the most part, it being long and cutting in the right places to accent his eyes and the purple triangles that came to a point under them. He also had raven black hair, except for the white streak that cut into a longer piece of his bangs on the right. The rest of his long hair was tied behind his neck, but was almost completely unraveled from its ribbon. Besides all the cuts and bruises, he was definitely deemed worthy of being called 'cute' in her opinion. As Izayoi continued to stare, she felt a small blush rise to her cheeks and a small pull in her heart as if she felt something for the stranger beneath her.

'What….what is this? It feels strange... I have to stop this. It's weird….' She thought quickly before turning away. She had work to do and she didn't want to have that pull distract her again. Izayoi went out to find suitable thread for his stitches which turned out to be some thread from her kimono since she was unable to find anything stronger. When she finished, she saw his eyes flutter as he finally returned to consciousness but only moving slightly due to some of his injuries.

"Welcome back. Glad to see you've woken up. By the way, I wouldn't move just yet. You still have some cuts that I have to fix before you try anything." Izayoi was threading her needle as she spoke, trying not to look at him for long.

"Ugh…um, where…am I?" he asked as he turned towards her slightly, wincing at the small movement.

"You are in the eastern part of Inuyasha's Forest. As for why you're here, I don't know. I just found you lying against a tree, beaten all to hell and covered in blood. I've been trying to fix you up ever since then."

"Oh….well, thank you. I…appreciate it." He said softly, still trying not to move.

"You're welcome." She turned to him as she said this, only to meet his gaze. She was ensnared in an instant, drawn to his eyes as if there was nothing else in the world besides the two of them.

'Whoa…what a color…' she thought as she stared into his eyes, trying to memorize the hue that they portrayed. His eyes were the deepest color of red, like pools of blood except for the streaks of gold that ran through them. To Izayoi, it was like she had found the most priceless rubies in the world, and all she wanted to do was stare into them all day. He must have noticed she was staring because he gave her a strange look.

"Um…hello?" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and realized she had done it again.

'That's it. No more staring. You're going to freak him out.' She thought to herself angrily, before trying to think of a way to play it off.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I thought I saw something. Not anything big. What was I saying?"

"You weren't saying anything. You just kept staring at me…Are you sure that nothing is wrong, hanyou?"

"No, no. Nothing important. I thought….wait. What do you mean by 'hanyou'?!" Izayoi's temper flared on her last sentence. She would not have some random youkai diminish her heritage and her family. If she was happy about one thing, it was that she inherited her father's pride and defensiveness.

"No! No, no, no….I don't mean any offence. I wasn't sure what to call you as I don't know your name and I could smell your human blood so….I just assumed." He paused, unsure of how she would respond. Luckily, her silence didn't last long.

"Well, for your information, my name isn't hanyou. It's Izayoi." She bluntly stated.

"Izayoi…it's a fitting name."

She paused before turning away to resume her work. She was rubbing some numbing herbs around his wounds, no wanting to resume the conversation but her curiosity got the better of her.

"…Why is that?" she asked quietly. She quickly regretted asking him, figuring that he thought her name sounded repulsive or something along those lines.

'Great. Just how I want this cute guy to think of me as. Repulsive.' She thought. Though his answer was quite the opposite.

"It's beautiful. Even regal. Just like you." He finished quietly.

She looked up in shock as a deep blush spread across her face. As she looked at him, she noticed his eyes were full of honesty and love, as if he was saying 'I meant every word.' As they both continued to stare at each other, the pull in her heart resurfaced even stronger than before and she came to the realization that she liked the stranger she was looking at. The pull also brought her back to reality and she looked away, hiding behind her ebony hair.

"I'm sorry. Some of the herbs I gave you must have made you delusional. They'll wear off soon."

He decided to stay quiet, not sure of how to respond. He already saw a glimpse of her temper once and that was something he wanted to avoid. But what she said to him boggled his mind.

'What is she talking about? She has to be blind to not see how gorgeous she is. If I can see that, I am definitely not delusional.'

"There. Finished the stitching. It looks like all the shallow wounds have healed up nicely and most of your bruises are gone. Though it's going to be awhile before the deeper cuts heal. The same goes with your broken ankle. Do you think you can sit up?"

Her voice stopped his train of thought as he tried to remember what she said.

"I'm sorry, what did you ask?"

"I asked if you could try to sit up. Do you think you can?"

"I think so. Everything doesn't hurt as much as it did. Let's see…"

He began to shift his weight on to his elbows and Izayoi moved her arms behind him, in case he fell. But he was able to sit up successfully with no faults to be had.

"Ah…that's better. Arms are still a bit tender though." He said, looking at her.

"I'll bet. They took quite a beating. So what happened? Were you attacked?"

"Um….It's kinda fuzzy. But…I remember walking through the forest trying to find this creek. Then…that's when I fell. The pain...in my leg. That's what made me fall."

He touched his right leg, recalling the memory of the attack. His eyes seemed to stare off into space, like he was reliving it through sight. Izayoi just stared, listening to what he said.

"I turned around….and saw this snake youkai. It was yelling at me for scaring off its meal. I tried to get away but I was limited because of my leg. The youkai then took its anger out on me, beating me until I couldn't see straight. I could feel every cut, every bruise... and it hurt more than I could describe. Fortunately, the snake just laughed at me and said I wasn't worth killing. He then left, leaving my bleeding form to the wolves. I blacked out soon after that."

He finished with a sigh before turning to her, seeing the slight sorrow in her eyes.

"But I woke up alive and being taken care of. I can't thank you enough Lady Izayoi."

"Oh please. Lady Izayoi was my late grandmother. Just call me Izayoi." She blushed as she spoke, making him chuckle.

"Ah, ok. Then, Izayoi, I owe you my life as you saved mine. And I must apologize for being so rude." He bowed slightly as he spoke, making Izayoi look at him odd.

"For what?" she asked as he looked up at her again.

"For not introducing myself. My name is Ryuske."


	3. Nice To Meet You

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Inuyasha realted. The great Rumiko Takahashi gets that honor. I only own the plot and the following characters: Izayoi, Shizune, and Ryuske._

Chapter 3: Nice to Meet You

Sunset had just begun when Izayoi and Ryuske found the edge of the forest. Ryuske was still having some problems walking because of his ankle and calf so Izayoi was helping him along as they walked. Noticing the sun, Izayoi cursed to herself.

'Damn. It's gotten so late. My parents are going to kill me.'

Seeing the worry written on her face, Ryuske knew something was wrong.

"Are you ok? What's with the face?"

"Hm? Oh. Well, it's my parents. My curfew is to be home before sunset and it's way past that now."

"Are they going to be angry?"

"Oh yeah. They aren't called 'overprotective' for nothing."

"Ah. Well then, best of luck with that."

She giggled at his comment and continued to press on. Luckily for her, the village entrance was in sight.

"Where the hell is she?! She knows better than to stay out past sunset!"

Inuyasha paced inside their home, worry evident in his features.

"I know Inuyasha but she'll be soon. Izayoi wouldn't stay out this long without a reason…" Kagome said to her pacing mate.

"I don't care! That's it. I'm going to look for her."

Inuyasha stomped out of the house leaving Kagome alone in her own self worry. Trying to take her mind off of it, she stood up and shuffled down the hall. She looked in on Shizune, who was sound asleep after a hard day's work. Kagome smiled at her sleeping form then turned to walk back into the main room, waiting for her mate to return. It was only a minute after she sat down when Inuyasha walked through the door.

"Kagome, come with me. She needs your help."

"Who, Izayoi? Did something happen?"

"She'll tell you. Just come with me."

Kagome quickly stood up and joined her mate as they walked out into the night air. Her thoughts ran rampant as they walked, thinking that her daughter was hurt or even worse. But Kagome was strong and kept her composure as they walked into the medicine hut. Kagome was relieved to find Izayoi unharmed but soon found herself wondering about the youkai man she was sitting next to.

"Izayoi…who is this?"

"We'll talk about that in a minute. Right now I want you to do a quick exam over him to make sure I did everything right and to check for poison. He was attacked by a snake youkai earlier today and I don't want to take any chances. Plus you have the advanced medical knowledge, not me." She finished bluntly.

Kagome looked at Izayoi in amazement, seeing how well she handled the situation that was presented to her. But she then regained focus and turned to the youkai before her.

"Alright. Let's get started. Where is the most damage?"

"Well, there are more injuries on my arms but the worst two are on my right leg."

"Ok. What kind of injuries are they?" Kagome asked as she began looking at his leg.

"There's an extremely deep cut on his calf that I stitched and his ankle is broken." Izayoi answered.

"Well…from what I can see the cut has been stitched well and is already healing. Good job on that Izayoi. As for your ankle, it will be a day or two until it fully heals. After that you will be able to use it."

"Ok. Thanks." Ryuske said as Kagome began to look at his arms.

"No problem." Kagome said while she continued to look.

" Your just lucky that Izayoi was trained for this sort of thing." Inuyasha said as he stood behind his daughter.

Ryuske smiled, thinking about how smart Izayoi was about his injuries.

'Hell, she's smart in general; and beautiful to boot. How much more lucky could I get?'

He looked over at Izayoi again, watching her study what her mother was doing. He loved the way her hair framed her fair face, accenting her honey gold eyes. She was true beauty in his eyes and he was grateful for finding her. As he thought about it more and more, a blush escaped across his face and his heart began to pull in his chest. Unknowingly, his hand rose over his chest, feeling his heart pull even more. Even his inner youki seemed to be moved by the feeling he was getting as it flared slightly before settling down. Luckily, no one noticed the small flicker of his true demon energy.

"Ryuske? Are you ok?" Izayoi asked in concern.

Once again, her voice brought him out of thoughts and back to reality.

"Yeah…I'm fine." He replied assuringly.

"Good. I'm glad you're ok and I didn't mess anything up." She said jokingly.

"Speaking of that, I have to say I'm proud of the work you did Izayoi." Kagome said, interrupting her conversation. Izayoi turned toward her mother who was finished looking over Ryuske's wounds.

"You are?" Izayoi questioned.

"I am. You acted on your skills and knowledge to bring him back to a healthy state. And all on your own too. It takes a great deal of courage and determination to pull off what you did as well as being as cool and collected as you were. You've brought great pride to this family and to you as well." She finished and meet Izayoi's gaze which was full of happiness and admiration.

"Thank you mom. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now, can you introduce us to your friend?" she asked, looking at Ryuske.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Mom, Dad, this is Ryuske."

"It's nice to meet you Ryuske." Kagome said politely.

"Likewise." Inuyasha said soon after.

"Thank you. And you are?" Ryuske asked.

"Ah, right. Ryuske, these are my parents; Inuyasha and Kagome." Izayoi gestured to her mother and father as she said their names. After saying that, Ryuske's eyes widened in surprise and he looked at Izayoi.

"Really?!" he asked excitedly.

"Uh…yeah. What about it?"

"Oh, kami! I didn't know I was in the presence of the land's greatest heroes! It is such an honor." he tried to bow as he spoke, but had some difficulty because of the way he was sitting.

"Please, don't bow Ryuske. It's not required. So, why do you call us heroes? We didn't do anything." She asked him.

"Lady Kagome, how can you say that? Your battle against Naraku is legendary! It was because of you and Lord Inuyasha that my people were saved from extinction!"

His last statement left everyone speechless. None of them could believe what they just heard.

"Extinction?!" Izayoi said.

"What the hell did Naraku do?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Well, I can answer that and anymore questions you have. I just hope you all can stand a long story."

"Go ahead. We're all ears." Kagome answered while Inuyasha sat down next to her.

With her approval, Ryuske began his tale.


	4. Operation:Exsistence

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything Inuyasha related. I only own the plot and this side story._

Chapter 4: Operation: Existence

The land was at peace. At least amongst the youkai communities. No wars were taking place so all of the youkai kingdoms were at peace…as long as order was kept. Unfortunately, when the Shikon shards appeared, some thought that they had the power to overrule kings and go against set laws. This became a problem as more and more youkai began to challenge the kingdoms. One such kingdom was ruled by dragon youkai. The dragons held an ancient power that surpassed many others and was deemed the strongest. But with great power comes those who want it for themselves and will try to obtain it. The dragons were attacked frequently but they always prevailed and maintained their rule. One day, a hanyou called Naraku appeared in the court of the king and said he could provide assistance against these attacks. The king accepted his offer gratefully and let Naraku take control of the kingdom's defenses. The mysterious hanyou stayed true to his word until he brought the kingdom to a standstill by doing the unthinkable; He showed his true intentions soon after killing the queen in full view of the court. The king, shocked at his actions and the death of his beloved, ordered Naraku to be killed but no guard came and he was left with a dangerous man in a room full of cowardly nobles. The king then tried to kill Naraku himself but was only thrown away like a rag doll. That is when Naraku plagued the kingdom of dragons with a horrendous curse.

'Your people in my opinion hold too much power. So, if there's fewer people, then there's less power. Am I right? I already know I am so I took care of this problem of yours. As we speak, every female in your kingdom has been inflicted with a disease that will kill them in a course of 2 days. Over these two days before they die, they will go through great suffering that can only be cured with death. This disease will also be brought upon any child that is to born with any amount of dragon youkai blood. So mating with some human or any other woman is pointless. I'm sorry it had to come to this but…the less interference I have with my plans, the better they turn out. Have fun staying in existence.'

The devil Naraku disappeared after his speech and was never seen again. The king ordered many assassination parties but they all turned up in failure. And these failures ended in great death. Two days after Naraku's disappearance, every woman and girl died just like Naraku had prophesized. Trying to mate was pointless as many men refused or the women that were found were too scared of Naraku's curse. All the man in the kingdom then started dying off one after the other. Many found it unbearable to live without their loved ones and followed them into death. Others went insane and were forced to be killed. But the kingdom lived on for those that had the faith to keep pressing on in those times of great struggle. The three years that passed almost had all of the dragon youkai eradicated just as Naraku wanted. But not long after, news arrived of Naraku's death to the dying race. The kingdom rejoiced, grateful for the death of their devil, but was then curious about what had happened to the curse. Taking a gamble, some of the men that were willing mated with human, hanyou, and youkai women to see if the curse had been lifted. After waiting for a short time, the kingdom was blessed with many youkai and hanyou children that carried the powerful dragon youkai blood. Once the two days had passed and the children still lived, the kingdom celebrated being free of the curse. Afterwards, they began to rebuild their fallen kingdom and thrive as a species once again. The king, wanting to share his gratitude with the people responsible for Naraku's death. He sent out a scout to acquire this information and was overjoyed when he came back victorious. After learning Inuyasha and Kagome's valiant efforts, he graced them as heroes in the dragon kingdom. The villagers then told the story of Inuyasha and Kagome as a legend among legends. Their story was then passed on to the next generations as well as the dragon youkai's eternal gratitude.


	5. Whispers In The Dark

_Hello all! Welcome to chapter 5! Thanks so much to those who are redaing and reviewing my first piece and welcome to those who are new! Now, on with the show!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Inuyasha realted. I only own the plot and the following characters: Izayoi, Ryuske, Shizuna, and Hideki._

Chapter 5: Whispers in the Dark

As Ryuske finished his story, Inuyasha and Kagome couldn't help nut look at him in disbelief.

"And that's it. That is how the legend has been told in my kingdom for the past 20 years.

"I can't…I mean…legends? That's quite a title…" Kagome said as Inuyasha nodded, agreeing with his mate's statement.

"It is and trust me, you two have earned it. We would have been reduced to nothing had you not killed Naraku when you did." Ryuske stated.

"Well…um…I'm glad we could help." Kagome said quietly as she looked at Inuyasha. The pause of silence that came afterwards hung thick in the air, one that Izayoi grew tired of. She yawned, much to everyone's thanks, and said she was going to bed.

"Good idea. We all need our rest for tomorrow if we want to perform our jobs without falling asleep. Oh and Ryuske, if you wouldn't mind, I need you to stay here for the night as we don't have any kind of proper arrangements for you. " Kagome said as she got up to leave.

"That's fine. I came here unannounced anyway and it's better than the forest floor." He replied, settling down on the floor.

"Then who is going to stay with him? He's still injured and if something were to happen, Ryuske will be defenseless." Izayoi quickly said.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha who nodded slightly, understanding her intentions.

"I'll stay here with him." He said to Izayoi.

"Ok, good. Thank you, dad. See you both in the morning." Izayoi then kissed her father on the cheek and waved at Ryuske before leaving the medical hut to go home. After Izayoi left, Kagome turned to her mate.

"Be careful… if anything should happen."

"I will. And nothing will go wrong. You know me better than that." He smiled then drew her to his chest, embracing her tightly.

"Goodnight, Kagome. I love you." He whispered into her hair.

"I love you too. Goodnight, Inuyasha." She looked up at him after finishing her sentence and kissed him lightly. He returned the favor but didn't overdo it as there were eyes still present. Granted said eyes were blushing profusely and looking down, Inuyasha knew that it wouldn't have been polite. They separated, leaving Kagome with a weary smile.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning." He said, hoping to ease her tension.

"Alright. Goodnight to you both. Sleep well." She walked out, leaving a small pit of silence in her wake as the two were now alone in the large hut.

"Well, we better get some sleep. A new day means more work to do." Inuyasha stated as he took his customary spot in the corner, Tetsusaiga leaning against his shoulder.

"Ah, yes. I concur. Well, goodnight Lord Inuyasha." Ryuske replied, laying down on the spare futon that was found for him.

"G'night Ryuske. And by the way, drop the 'lord' bit. Inuyasha is fine."

"Alright. Sounds good." He replied quietly. As Ryuske lay there, waiting for sleep to take hold, he couldn't stop thinking about a certain hanyou that seemed to be at the forefront of his thoughts.

'Izayoi would be perfect…everything my father would want. She could solve all my problems…' he thought as he recalled the way her sunshine eyes were set while she watched her mother and how she looked at him before she left. Her eyes were the window into her mind and soul, and he wanted to watch them all day long to see what they would tell him next. Izayoi was definitely one that he wanted to win over because she was the new light in his darkened world.

"Izayoi…" He whispered as sleep finally took him into its clutches. His whisper hung silently in the dark, only to be heard by the hanyou in the corner. Though he was confused for a moment after Ryuske spoke because of the ominous aura he felt.

'Why did his youki flare just now? And why is it stronger than his usual energy?'

Izayoi had just let her hair down from its high ponytail when a voice sounded from beside her.

"Izayoi? Is that you?"

"Hey Shizune. Did I wake you? I tried to be quiet…"

"Kinda, but it's ok. I'm glad you made it home ok. You gave mom and dad quite a scare."

"Yeah, I did. But I didn't mean to. I had something come up." Izayoi said as she sat on her futon.

"Like what?"

"Well…I found a man in the forest today that was barely alive."

"Oh my goodness! Is he alright?" she said, concern lining her words.

"Yep. And it's all thanks to me. I was able to clean him off and fix his injuries before it got any worse. After I brought him here, mom looked him over and said I did everything correct and that he was already healing quickly."

"Healing quickly? Humans don't heal quickly…" she said, confused.

"Shizune, he's a youkai." She stated, earning a small gasp from her sister.

"A youkai? That's new. They usually avoid these parts because of dad."

"I know. I don't know what he was doing here but a snake youkai attacked him. He got out of there with a broken ankle and lots of cuts and bruises. Luckily for him, I was around to save the day."

"Well, congratulations miss medical extraordinaire. Mom must've been proud."

"Yep. She told me so herself." She declared, pride eminent in her voice.

"That's good. Dad too?"

"Yep though he didn't say so. But I could tell."

"Good. At least he has something to brag about." She said sarcastically.

"You're tellin' me. Now he can stop whining."

They both laughed, recalling how their father would tell them to go and do something great so he would have something to talk about with the boring villagers.

"Well, we better get some sleep. After having a day like that, you must be tired." Shizune said, breaking the small bit of laughter.

"Oh, trust me. I am tired after lugging a man around the forest and back home. G'night Shizune." She said as she situated herself in her futon.

"Goodnight."

Silence returned once again as both hanyou women lay in bed waiting for sleep. Izayoi let her thoughts wander, reliving the day's events that had come before her. Never in a million years would she think that she would find a man like Ryuske on the brink of death in the forest. She was surprised that she was even able to bring him back. She was so relieved when his wounds were healing and he woke up.

'I'm so thankful that I was able to heal him; so relieved that he woke up… when he woke up…' As she thought about his awakening, she remembered his eyes.

'Those eyes…those red and gold eyes…so beautiful…'

Izayoi laid there, reliving how those eyes looked at her countless times. The pull in her chest started up again as she thought, making her think of Ryuske altogether instead of just his eyes. She loved how his ebony hair accented his eyes as well as the rest of his face; she also thought about how he smiled at her, making her so happy she wanted to dance around. The pull grew stronger as Izayoi became aware of its presence, wondering why she felt this way. She was lost on matters of the heart but she knew someone who could help. After having the same boyfriend for 3 years, Shizune could definitely give her some answers.

"Hey, Shizune? Are you still awake?" Izayoi asked quietly.

"Yeah, what's up?" she replied, earning a sigh of relief from Izayoi.

"I have a random question."

"Like what?"

"Um…what did your heart do…when you fell in love with Hideki?"

"My heart? What do you mean?"

"Did it do or make you feel something when you thought about him?" she asked, almost sounding insistent.

"Uh, yeah. I would say it did. Whenever I was around him or thought about him, my heart would pull in my chest as if it was saying 'Go for it!'. My heart was telling me that this man was the one for me; the one that I could fall in love with."

"…Really?" Izayoi asked quietly, recalling the feeling from earlier.

"Yeah. And it was right, too. So, why do you ask?"

"Um…no reason. Nothing important."

Shizune sat there, pondering the reasons that would make her tomboy sister ask such things. She had a pretty good idea but she didn't want to push it.

"Ok. By the way, if you have something you want talk about, you can come to me.

Izayoi pondered her words, knowing the Shizune understood what kind of situation Izayoi was in. She was glad that Shizune was also open for discussion if need be.

"…alright. I will. Thanks Shizune."

"No problem. Night Izayoi."

"G'night."

The air drifted back to silence as Izayoi found her thoughts revolving around Ryuske again. But even her rampant thoughts of him couldn't keep her from the clutches of sleep and it was closing in fast.

"Ryuske…"she whispered as she finally fell to sleep.

Her final whisper floated around in the dark night, wanting an audience to share it with. But only Shizune bared witness to her hushed plea.


	6. Inner Being

Chapter 6: Inner Being

-Five days later-

"Well Ryuske, it looks like that ankle of yours is back to normal. A good run with it will bring it back up to speed. Your calf is the same. It healed up nicely." Kagome said as Ryuske stood up.

"Great! Thank you Lady Kagome."

"You're welcome. Now get back outside. I can smell Izayoi coming this way."

"How…?" he questioned, recalling that she was human.

"Slight demon powers. Mate marks are wondrous things." She replied as she pushed him through the door.

'Mate marks? Since when did they grant demon powers?' As he pondered, Izayoi walked up to him, just as Kagome predicted.

"Hi, Ryuske! How did it go?"

"Oh! Hi, Izayoi. It went fine. She said a good run would loosen it up and bring it back to normal."

"That's good to hear. So when do you plan on takin' that run?"

"I think now sounds good. It feels good right now and running in the heat wouldn't be smart."

"Cool! Mind if I tagged along? I haven't had a good race in a while." She said as she walked slightly faster than him, making Ryuske look at her questioningly.

"A race? I thought we were just going to run."

"What fun is that? One thing you have to know about me: I like to make things interesting."

"Really…well then, lets race."

"Alright. First one to the pond in the middle of the forest wins."

"Sounds go-" But before he could finish his response, she bounded off to the edge of the forest.

'Damn. She's fast.' He thought as he started running.

His ankle felt stiff at first but as he gained speed, it felt good as new when the stiffness faded away. With his speed now back to normal, he quickly speed up to catch the hanyou in front of him. Once a small sliver in the distance was now a foot in front of him as he finally caught up with Izayoi.

"Nice weather we're having, huh?" he said as he moved to the side of her.

She turned to see Ryuske not only next to her but moving ahead. Shocked, she realized that she lost her advantage and thought frantically for a new strategy. Ryuske saw the shock and determination written on her face as he shot ahead, leaving Izayoi four feet behind him.

'Damn! Even with a bum ankle he can run faster…..wait. The trees. I can use the trees to increase my speed' As quick as she had thought of her idea, she shot up into the trees and started bounding off of the thick branches and trunks. Luckily, her momentum had increased her speed two fold and she was gaining on Ryuske fast. He had sensed her presence to be close but never expected to see her in the lead shortly after.

'She's using the trees to gain speed…very clever.' As he thought, he scented water approaching and knew that the race was coming to a close. He scented that Izayoi was still ahead so he used his last bit of stored energy to send him surging forward at incredible speed. Unfortunately, he forgot that this speed was one that made it hard to slow down or stop. Izayoi on the other hand, was slowing down as she had reached the pond which was their destined finish line. She stopped to take in the scenery and her new found victory.

"Yeah! I won! Who says all hanyous are we-" She was cut off when a large mass ran into her and threw them into pond. She was dazed for a moment, but quickly recovered and tried to sit up in the shallow water.

"*_Gasp*_...ugh…damn. That hurt..." She grabbed her shoulder when the throbbing began, knowing she injured it in some way. She looked around then, trying to find the offending thing that threw her back. Her mystery was solved quickly though when Ryuske resurfaced a minute later, coughing the water out of his lungs.

"You ok?" Izayoi asked she dragged them both out of the water.

"*cough* yeah…I'm fine…Oh, damn! Are you ok? I didn't mean to run into ya…I guess I got caught up in the moment." The look of guilt washed over his face and he turned away, ashamed for hurting her over a game. Izayoi looked at him, feeling bad for making him look like that. She put her hand on his shoulder which bought her a look from him.

"It's ok. I've been hit a lot harder and injured a lot worse than this. And, to make things even better, I'm not broken. So there's nothing to worry about, ok?" She finished with a smile, which helped take away the guilt in his face. He smiled slightly and turned back to her, which made Izayoi feel a lot better.

"…alright. But I'm still sorry."

"I already told you, it's ok. But I'm not gonna to lie; it hurts like hell." She gripped her arm closer to her body, the once dull pain returning to a steady throb.

"I can tell. Mind if I take a look? I need to know how badly to maim myself..."

She blushed at his question and she blushed **hard**. She had never revealed any part of her body to anyone besides her mother or Shizune. At least any bit that would seem provocative to her or anyone else; and to her, showing any skin below her neck and above her chest was provocative. But then again, she wasn't completely disrobing herself.

'Only my shoulder would be exposed…that's ok, right?' she thought as she conflicted within her mind. Eventually, she came to an answer, though she still was uncomfortable.

"Um…ok. That's fine. And no maiming. I already told you it was ok." She sat up straight, trying not to look scared. She couldn't contain her blush though when his hand came to rest on the edge of her kimono collar. He gently eased it over her shoulder and Izayoi could feel the crisp air brush against her bare skin. When he released his grip, her shoulder, part of her neck and a section of her collarbone were exposed. It wasn't much, but it still made Izayoi cringe slightly at the feeling. Ryuske wasn't holding up too well on his end either. He wanted to choke himself for asking her such a question and almost fainted when she gave him permission. As innocent as the task sounded, it made his blood boil as he moved her kimono out of the way to see her pale skin. His mind began to race, thinking of how much he wanted to see more of her delicate skin and how it felt under his fingers. He had never wanted to be with or love a woman more than he wanted to with Izayoi, and not having the ability to was driving him crazy.

'Kami…this is maddening. I can't take it…But I have to. For Izayoi's sake. I can't have that thing awaken.' As he cursed in his head he began looking over her injury, trying to maintain focus on the task at hand. Unfortunately, his control was slipping by the second.

"Ok…um…y-your shoulder is already mending itself. B-but there is some b-bruising…" Izayoi listened to what he had to say, trying to focus on his voice alone but was wondering why he was stuttering.

"Are you alright? You sound shaky…" her curiosity asked.

When he looked up at her, she found herself looking at him but there was something different…very different. His eyes has lost its ruby hue and turned into a dark red that almost seemed black; two more sets of stripes adorned his face that turned towards his eyes and a moon mark with wings appeared on his forehead. And if that wasn't strange enough, the dark outline of wings poked out from behind him.

"Ryuske…?" She knew it was him…but she didn't know what happened.

He looked at her questioningly until he saw his reflection in the pond. Ryuske panicked, not knowing he slightly transformed, and tried to run away from her. She grabbed his left wing before he could get away and pulled him back to her.

"Stop…don't run. I'm not scared…" she calmly said, trying to ease his mind. It seemed to work at first, until he said something that confused her.

"Get away from me…please." He said quietly, shying away from her touch.

"That's not going to happen. I'm not leaving you here like this. What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm not kidding…get away." He seemed to be shivering now.

"I already said no. Now tell me wha-" Her sentence was cut short when he turned and slammed her against the ground with his body. The shock and the pain from her shoulder seemed to freeze her in place underneath him as he stared at her with a blank face.

"I…warned you. My…true demon has…chosen you. And I…can't stop it…from taking what it wants…"


	7. To Their Surprise

Chapter 7: To Their Surprise

As he spoke he sounded weak, knowing that he wasn't winning his inner fight. The woman beneath him was shaking off the shock from his tackle while she tried to make sense of what he said.

"Chosen…me? For what?" She said as she looked into his eyes, trying to find the light that once resided there.

"It has…chosen you as…my mate. I'm sorry…Izayoi."

A lone tear drop escaped and landed on Izayoi's cheek, showing how sorry he truly was. Still looking at him, she saw a twinge of gold in his dark depths and knew she could bring him out of this.

"Ryuske…I know you can regain your control. And I can help. But you have to trust me for what I'm about to do…ok?" she whispered to him, lingering on her words so she knew he heard what she said.

"…alright…just hurry…"he replied in a whisper, still trying to quell his inner self. Knowing that he was focused on regaining his control, she leaned up and kissed him lightly. 'If I give it some of what it wants, it'll calm down enough so Ryuske can go back to normal.' She thought to herself again, making sure her theory sounded right.

Izayoi remained motionless as she kissed him, letting Ryuske understand what she was doing. After a few moments, she could feel his youki weaken slightly and Ryuske relax against her. She opened her eyes as saw his facial features return to normal, much to her relief. But relief turned to surprise when she felt him kiss her back, just as lightly as she had done to him. Her head spun at what was happening, and she couldn't help but close her eyes again and savor the moment that she was living. They separated after a few seconds and just stared at each other, drowning in the color that they saw. Ryuske broke the stillness as he reached his hand up to her face and caressed her cheek. She leaned into his touch and watched him as he spoke.

"I…I can't thank you enough. You saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life. You saved me from giving in.

"You're welcome. I…just couldn't see you give in. I had to do something to remind you of how strong you are."

"You did and it worked. But…unfortunately this doesn't change things."

"What do you mean?" His hand dropped at her question, unsure of how she would react to his reply.

"That…it has chosen you. And my kind chooses one for life. So…this will happen again and again until it gets what it wants."

Izayoi sat there, unmoving and unresponsive at his words. She didn't know what to do.

'I love him and nothing would make me happier than to be his mate but…what would my parents say? I just met this guy 5 days ago! And…I need to know how he feels before I say anything. I don't want to give him the wrong idea.'

"So…uh…does that mean you have chosen me too? Not just your…demon side?" she asked quietly. He sat there, confusion set in his features. She was about to go into further detail when he pulled her to him, hugging her against his chest while leaning his head on her shoulder.

"How could I have not chosen you? You're everything I could have asked for in a woman and so much more. I…I love you, Izayoi. I have since I first laid eyes on you."

Izayoi was shocked. She couldn't believe what she just heard. The man she had fell in love with was in love with her too. Her heart seemed to swell with so much joy and love that she wanted to burst. But, she hugged him back before looking up, her emotions shown clearly in her eyes.

"I…I love you too, Ryuske. I honestly do. And nothing would make me happier than to be your mate."

He stared at her, astonished that the woman he held in his arms loved him too. Unable to contain his happiness and love, he kissed her deeply and tightened his hold as if to never let Izayoi go. She returned his kiss with as much devotion and love that he had given her while wrapping her arms around his neck. They carried on for a few moments until air became the factor that caused them to separate. Izayoi stared on at Ryuske, the fire still blazing in her eyes as she looked at her new found lover. But, she controlled her inner flame and came to rest on his lap, curling against his chest. He graciously accepted the gesture by leaning behind a nearby tree and wrapping his arms around her. They sat in the silence of the pond, enjoying each other's company and the beautiful surroundings that they bared witness to. Izayoi spoke up though, causing Ryuske to jump out of his serene thoughts.

"Happy five day anniversary by the way." She said sarcastically.

"Only five days? Seriously? I thought it was longer than that…"

"Nope. It's been five days since I found you."

"Damn…love works fast."

"I concur. And I barely know anything about you."

"That's true. The same goes on my end."

"Well…you actually know the extent of my life. I work under my mother some times while the rest of my days are spent in training and being bored."

"What are you training for?"

"Life in the demon world. My dad teaches me how to fight both hand to hand combat and with weapons."

"Interesting. Do you have a favorite weapon?"

"Yep! Swords. But my dad's Tetsusaiga is my favorite sword to work with."

"Ah…the Tetsusaiga. I've heard of that before." He said, seeming to recall the memory.

"Good. But just know about it. You don't want to cross paths with a sword of that caliber." She said warningly.

"Thanks for the tip."

"You're welcome. Now what about you? What's your story?"

"What do mean?" He sat up as he asked her, making Izayoi sit up as well.

"Well…why are you here? Where are you from?"

"To answer your second question, I hail from the Northern lands, up into the mountains."

"Really? That's only about two or three days from here. Right?"

"Yep."

"So do you live under the dragon youkai there or do you wander?"

He looked down, as if nervous to answer her question. But he answered anyway, not wanting to leave her in the dark.

'If she wants to be my mate, she needs to know that whole story. I can't lie about who I am.'

"You could say that…I live under them but I'm not looked upon with respect." He replied.

"Why not? Did you do something bad to get you in trouble with the kingdom?"

"Sort of…I refused to partake of an arranged marriage."

"Arranged? The higher courts only do arranged marriages…" she sat there and pondered upon her newfound information.

'Is he lord or something? Just who the hell is he?' As she thought, he grabbed her hands which caused her to look at him in confusion.

"Izayoi…I am looked down upon in my kingdom because it is not proper for a prince to refuse an arranged marriage."

She reran his statement in her head, trying to understand what he meant. After about the fifth time, the word 'prince' finally stuck in her mind and she looked at him in shock.

"You're...you're a…"

"Yes. I'm the first prince of the dragon youkai. And I am the first to be temporarily exiled over refusing to marry."


	8. I Won't Let You Go

_I'm back! Sorry it took so long to update...work just got a little crazy ._

_But, I have to thank sangoscourage and i love snowy owls for your reviws! At least I know that my story is progresssing well. :D_

_Now, here's chapter 8! Please read and review!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Inuyasha related. Just the plot and the following characters: Izayoi, Ryuske, and Marika._

Chapter 8: I Won't Let You Go

Izayoi stared at him in disbelief, not believing that the man in front of her was royalty. But, when she started to put the pieces together from what she knew about him already, everything started to make sense.

'Well…that explains the pristine manners and well known history of his kind. But what does this mean for me? The man wants me to be his mate…' she pondered.

Ryuske could tell that she was thinking about what he had told her and began to fear of what she was going to do.

'I really hope this doesn't change things…I want to be with her more than anything. And, she would be perfect to bring home to father. With her lineage, she would easily be accepted. But would she accept me and all that comes with it?' Not wanting to dwell in the silence that was eating at him, he rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand to gain her attention again.

"Izayoi…just because I'm a prince doesn't mean that we can't be together. I was actually sent out into the country to find a woman worthy enough to bring home to my father."

"Really? Why?"

"Remember how I refused to marry the girl I was arranged to? Well, my father told me to go out and find a woman who I would marry and that would bring prosperity to our clan. But, I wasn't allowed to ask the clan for help or marry a girl in our clan as all of them were deemed unworthy; hence, the temporary exile title."

"Oh…ok. So, what does that mean for me?" she said as all of the information was starting to sink in.

"Well, if you still want to be my mate you would travel with me up to the mountains so we would be married properly. Then you would be named a princess and later a queen when I take the crown."

"A…a princess? Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not. You would become royalty if you marry me."

"…wow. That's something to tell my parents…"

"Oh, damn…you're right. That'll make for…interesting conversation."

"Yes it will. I just hope they don't freak out…" she said, concern threading her words.

"I don't think they will. They seem like the type of people that take things calmly before reacting."

"You must be referring to my mother. Father acts on pure emotion all the time. Thinking before acting isn't his strong suit…"

"Oh. Well…then let's hope for the best."

"Here's hoping'."

They sat there in the silence, thinking of what would be the outcome of talking to Izayoi's parents. And to both of them, they feared the outcome. Trying to take her mind off of it, Izayoi brought up a curious subject.

"So…what was wrong with the girl you were betrothed to? Why not follow guidelines and marry her?"

"Well, to be honest, I wasn't in love with her."

"Really? That's new."

"I guess you can say that…But to me, my heart always has top priority especially if it deals with matters of loving someone."

"Wow…that's deep."

"Yeah…and things worked out to my advantage in the end."

"How so?"

"My supposed fiancé, Marika, didn't to be married either. She had already given her heart to another and didn't want anything to put her relationship in jeopardy. She was really nice about it when she told me and wasn't upset with my true feelings on the matter."

"Now that's what I call lucky."

"It gets better. When my father found out, he was furious but listened to what I had to say before doing anything rash. That in itself was a blessing in disguise. Then he told me to find a girl that I could love but would bring prosperity to our clan. I agreed to his terms gratefully but he then added that I was not allowed to use the clan for help in any shape or form. He said it would only bring further shame upon me for turning Marika down. I took heed of his words and set off. I've been on my own ever since."

"Uh-huh…well, at least you can say that you're not alone anymore."

"I know. And I'm glad. Izayoi, I honestly can't thank you enough."

"For what?"

"For loving me, even with all my issues."

"You seem normal to me. And how could I not love you? You're everything I've ever wished for in a man. "

He laughed at the way she used his words but took them to heart, knowing that she meant what she said. He hugged her tightly before kissing the top of her head, feeling at peace for once in his life.

"I love you Izayoi…" he whispered.

"I love you too, Ryuske. Always remember that."

"I always will."

She smiled at his response before curling closer against his chest, hearing his heart thrum wildly beneath her ear.

"It sounds…like a bird…"

"What?" he questioned, looking down at her.

"Your heart. It sounds like the wings of a bird."

"A bird? Really?"

"Yes. I heard it just now."

"Well then, now you know." He said while smiling at her.

"Know what?"

"That you make my heart soar as high as a bird." Ryuske nuzzled her neck, causing Izayoi to giggle beneath him.

"Ha-ha…how original."

"You think so? I thought it was pretty good."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say." She said as she sat up

"Good. Because I like it and it's true." He replied assuringly.

Before Izayoi could say anything, Ryuske stiffened, as if he saw something that scared him.

"Ryus-"

"_Sh_! Don't move. I heard something."

She sat still, concern lining her features as she tuned her canine hearing to the sounds of the forest, listening for anything suspicious. Just then, a small branch cracked a short distance away from the two and Ryuske jumped in front of her defensively. With his claws bared, the mysterious presence revealed itself from behind the trees. The slim form of a young woman appeared, walking cautiously towards the two as Ryuske looked at her in surprise.

"Ryuske? Is that you?" she asked as she came closer. Izayoi gripped the back of his shirt, unsure of the person that knew her soon-to-be-mate. Ryuske didn't move, still staring at the woman that questioned him.

"Ryuske! It is you! Oh, I'm so glad I found you…" she ran up and hugged him while Izayoi backed up in shock.

'Who the hell does she think she is? Ryuske is my mate!' she thought as she took action. Izayoi grabbed her shirt sleeve and yanked her off of him, making the two gasp in surprise. Izayoi then stood between them, anger radiating off of her in waves.

"Who the hell gives you the right to throw yourself at my mate?! I should cut you to ribbons for doing such a thing!" she said as she bared her claws, her knuckles cracking as she did. Ryuske quickly intervened, not wanting Izayoi to use her deadly claws.

"Izayoi! No, you've got the wrong idea."

"And what idea should I be understanding?"

"Izayoi, this is Marika. This is the girl that I refused to marry."

Izayoi froze and looked at the form beneath her, guilt washing over her face.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't know who you were and…I didn't mean to threaten you." Izayoi reached out her hand to help Marika up, who was still shaking from her near death experience.

"It's quite alright. I shouldn't have embraced Ryuske as I did. I didn't know you two were mates." She bowed as she spoke, showing her respect for Izayoi.

"Marika, were not mates yet. But I do intend to marry her after I return to my kingdom." He said as he pulled Izayoi close to his side. Marika smiled as she looked at her former fiancée.

"I'm so glad you found your true mate, Ryuske."

"Thank you, Marika. That means a lot. So, what did you want me for?"

"Oh! Ryuske, I'm so sorry… I have something important to tell you!"

"Like what?"

"My father is outraged that we did not get married! He will declare war between our two clans if we are not wed within the week."

Marika finished only to meet two shocked gazes.

"War? That's insane!" Ryuske said as he ran his fingers through his hair. He stood there for a moment, obviously running ideas through his head before turning back to Marika.

"We can't let our clans go to war. We have to go back and talk your father out of this." He said calmly.

"Alright. Then we best go now. We can't afford to waste any time." She replied.

Ryuske looked back at Izayoi, concern and guilt heavy in his eyes.

"Marika, could you give us a moment please? I need to talk to Izayoi."

Marika nodded then jumped into the treetops, leaving them alone once more. Ryuske then turned to Izayoi and took her hand in his.

"Izayoi…I'm not sure what's going to happen. I don't know if I'm going to be able to fix this…" he said, sorrow swimming in his eyes. Not wanting to look at him in this state, Izayoi quickly hugged him close. He returned the favor and laid his head on her shoulder, as if in defeat.

"Ryuske, if anyone can fix this it's you. You need to go back and help your clan. They need you."

"But I need you, Izayoi. I love you. I don't want to let you go…" He said, his grip tightening as he spoke.

"You won't lose me. I'll always be with you. I promise." She said reassuringly. He lifted his head to meet her gaze, some light returning to his eyes.

"Then will you go with me? Will you come with me to my kingdom?"

"Of course. Wherever you go, I will follow." She said, smiling as she spoke.

"Oh, Izayoi…thank you." Ryuske then swooped down and kissed her passionately, all his love and appreciation running through as he did. She smiled against his lips as she returned the favor, showing just as much love as he showed her. They parted shortly afterwards, both locked in each other's gaze.

"You're welcome. But there is one thing I have to do."

"What is it, love?"

"I have to talk to my parents."


End file.
